Birmingham Brother Rice is among those cited in the complaint because its teams are Warriors. / 2012 photo by KIRTHMON F. DOZIER/DFP

Detroit Free Press Education Writer

Related Links

Chippewa Valley High School several years ago stopped using a logo with a profile of an American Indian and switched to a red-tailed hawk. / 2012 photo by JARRAD HENDERSON/Detroit Free Press

More

ADVERTISEMENT

The Michigan Department of Civil Rights is asking federal officials to issue a national ban barring schools from using American Indian mascots and names, saying the use of such imagery harms students of American Indian descent academically.

"A growing and unrebutted body of evidence now establishes that the use of American Indian imagery reinforces stereotypes in a way that negatively impacts the potential for achievement by students with American Indian ancestry," the department argues in the filing.

The complaint was filed on behalf of all present and future American Indian students and against 35 Michigan schools they say are "responsible for the alleged discrimination."

The issue of American Indian imagery in schools has sparked heated debate over the years, in Michigan and across the nation. In 2003, the state Board of Education adopted a resolution strongly recommending schools eliminate American Indian mascots and names, then reiterated its position in 2010.

Some schools have heeded concerns raised in the past, changing their imagery. Others have stuck with tradition.

The state complaint was filed Friday with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights. Leslee Fritz, spokeswoman for the MDCR, said the department could have just pushed the issue with the state Civil Rights Commission.

"We ultimately decided the impact isn't just limited to the students in Michigan, so the remediation shouldn't be limited to students in Michigan," Fritz said.

The complaint asks the federal agency to ban the use of American Indian mascots, names, nicknames, slogans, chants and/or imagery.

Kenneth Gutman, superintendent of Walled Lake Consolidated Schools, said in a statement that his district prides itself on being culturally sensitive. Walled Lake Western is on the list because of its Warriors nickname.

"We serve the needs of more than 60 different cultures and ethnicities. It is never our intention to offend anyone," Gutman said.

Chippewa Valley High School several years ago stopped using a logo with a profile of an American Indian and switched to a red-tailed hawk. The hawk is also the school's mascot. But the school still uses the Big Reds nickname and its logo features American Indian feathers.

Diane Blain, spokeswoman for the Chippewa Valley district, said she hadn't seen the MDCR complaint and couldn't respond to it, but she said the district is sensitive to concerns about American Indian imagery.

"Certainly our intention has never been to offend anyone or any group. Chippewa Valley has always been proud of our Native American history," Blain said, noting that most of the district's schools have been named after famous American Indian tribes. The last two buildings that opened -- Sequoyah and Little Turtle -- were named after famous American Indian leaders at the suggestion of representatives from tribal councils in Michigan.